Happy Fall! (slips on a banana peel)

Autumn has definitely arrived in Northern Ireland! The fresh air suddenly feels more cool and crisp, and I’ve been staring unbelievingly at the calendar that says “October”. My first month in Belfast has already passed, and each week seems to fly by and blend into the next. While I’m still getting acclimated to the weather and other cultural elements, my new environment is starting to feel more familiar. The locals keep asking if I’m “settling in”, and I think in a lot of ways I have done just that – wiggled into my small niche in this community, and then let myself relax a little bit.
  
Here are some of the highlights from the advent of Autumn:

As part of my cookery/craft responsibilities at The Link, I decided to assign an Autumn/Halloween theme to the Tuesday activities in October! We started with a giant paper tree attached to the wall of the drop-in, decorated with leaves that I drew and photocopied, and the members used all their innate creativity and fabulosity to color them in!

Funny cultural misunderstanding - before hanging up the letters, didn't realize "Fall" is largely unknown as a synonym to Autumn.

Next week it was on to caramel apples (or toffee apples, as they call them here)! I had never made toffee apples before, but the online instructions seemed simple enough. They turned out really well (even if their appearances weren’t perfect)! It’s the taste that counts!

My housemates and I got to witness a little piece of Northern Irish history and culture when we watched the Ulster Covenant Parade march past our street. A century ago, people occupying several counties in the north of Ireland (a regional area known as Ulster) signed a pact, vowing that they would remain a part of the United Kingdom no matter what, using whatever means necessary to prevent being subject to Home Rule in Ireland. (Whatever means necessary – implying the use of violence to achieve their ends.) The Parade celebrates the Covenant and British citizenship, with band after band playing flutes, accordions, and drums – very loudly! Bands are a controversial institution in interface areas of Northern Ireland (places where Unionist and Nationalist neighborhoods are in close proximity) due to the intimidating nature of their drumming – but that’s a whole other story!

The new season also marked a new adventure as I began to lead an informal weekly art club at Regent Street Presbyterian. I’ve never lead anything like that before, so I was pretty apprehensive that those who came would actually want me to teach them something! Mostly it’s been a kind of open space for people of all ages and artsy interests to explore whatever tickles their fancy. Last week I did do a demonstration on basic hand and facial structure guidelines – it didn’t go too badly, and those who attended seemed to enjoy it! Phew! Thank you, God, for the chance to enjoy creativity!

Colorful Donaghadee behind me

I'll leave you with some images of a visit to the quaint sea-side town of Donaghadee! It was a beautiful day, and we could see the distant shore of Scotland very clearly as we walked along the coast and looked to the east!

~ As a side note, for those who are interested, BBC radio in Northern Ireland (called Radio Ulster) broadcasts a local church service every Sunday morning at 10:15, rotating through the denominations and towns, and next Sunday (October 14th) my church, Regent Street Presbyterian, is going to be on the radio! And I'll be part of the broadcast, doing two readings! All of Northern Ireland will hear my strange American accent in the midst of the normal accents of the ministers and other readers.
If you're interested in listening to the 45 minute broadcast, you can, thanks to the wonders of technology! You can listen to it up to 7 days after the 14th by clicking on this link: Radio Ulster broadcast of Regent Street Presbyterian.
I hope you'll tune in! It will be a rare opportunity to connect my U.S. community with my N.I. community!

"So you are no longer outsiders or aliens, but fellow-citizens with every other Christian -- you now belong to the household of God." - Ephesians 2:19 (J.B. Phillips translation)